The present disclosure relates to a display/input device having a display portion for displaying an image of keys for setting and the like and a touch panel portion. The present disclosure also relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a display/input device.
An input device is known that has a display portion for displaying keys for operation and setting, images, and information, and a touch panel or the like for accepting input for operation and setting. For example, image forming apparatuses (such as multifunction peripherals, copiers, printers, and FAX (facsimile) machines) are provided with an input device including a display portion and a touch panel for the purpose of setting a function to be used and setting items related to the function.
Conventionally, various improvements have been made in input devices to allow easy input and to enhance the ease of input (ease of use). For example, in a known input device, a plurality of character keys respectively having a plurality of kinds of characters indicated thereon are provided; a point initially touched within the region of the character keys is detected as start point A; a point where a bar-touch operation, that is, movement across a predetermined length from start point A with the touch maintained, is canceled is detected as end point B; a linear distance d and a direction θ are acquired based on the starting and end points; the acquired direction is determined; whether or not the acquired linear distance is within a predetermined range of values is determined; when the linear distance is determined to be within the predetermined range of values, the character set according to the direction determined by a direction discriminator with respect to the center position of the character key which includes the start point is selected and output; and when the linear distance is determined to be outside the predetermined range of values, a function for assisting key input according to the direction is operated.
In using the various functions of an image forming apparatus, a large number of selectable, settable setting items are available (for example, several tens to several hundred). For example, a copying function has setting items related to print quality such as density settings of printing results, setting items related to page layout such as two-side printing and consolidated printing, etc. Moreover, some image forming apparatuses provide a plurality of functions (copying, printing, scanning, image data transmission, etc.), and these multifunction peripherals have an even larger number of setting items.
To obtain desired job results, a user selects setting items to be used and sets set values for setting items by use of an input device such as an operation panel with respect to an image forming apparatus. However, when there are a large number of setting items available, setting methods tend to be complicated. Moreover, it takes time to get used to setting on the operation panel. Moreover, setting a certain set value for a certain setting item may automatically inhibit the setting of a certain set value for another setting item (incompatibility). For example, in color setting, there is incompatibility such that selecting black and white inhibits color-related settings. However, some users may wonder why they are inhibited from setting those settings.
As discussed above, when a large number of setting items are available, some of them may well be obscure in terms of their setting methods and the results they will produce. Also, the user may feel at a loss what setting items to select and what set values to set to obtain desired job results.
Thus, the operation panel is often made capable of displaying, on its display portion, various help screens. By referring to the help screens displayed, the user at a loss how to operate can grasp the content and setting methods of setting items and set values. In other words, help screens guide the user and aid his understanding.
Here, help screens are generally called up with a press on a help key (pressing a help key causes a help screen to be displayed on the display portion). The help key is often displayed as a software key on the display portion (it may also be provided as a hardware key).
However, the help key may be located away from keys for selecting setting items, or may be displayed at varying positions from one screen to another for convenient layout of keys and images displayed. Thus, the help key often falls out of attention. Moreover, to call up a help screen, the user needs to find the help key and then touch the display position of the help key. In some cases, after touching the display position of the help key, the user may be required to make a further operation, for example, to select a desired help screen. For these reasons, calling up help screens poses a problem of poor operability. Poor operability makes the user feel it troublesome to call up help screens.
Incidentally, the well-known technology mentioned above is directed to simplification of input by the user but does not display help screens. Thus, the well-known technology mentioned above does not help overcome the problem of poor operability in calling up help screens.